


Inhibit your own Ambition

by tepidJudgement



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 02:44:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17092550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tepidJudgement/pseuds/tepidJudgement
Summary: Called to the mysterious alternate dimension of Black Star, Sonic and the rest of the gang are asked to assist the people of Black Star in defense of their home. On the brink of destruction and being erased from time itself, Shadow is split up from his team in pursuit of the Chaos Emeralds in order to defeat the combined Chaos God Ziphone. However while he may not have found the Chaos Emeralds he sought, he did however find a companion who's life seemed to hit closer to home than he would have liked.





	Inhibit your own Ambition

**Author's Note:**

> alternate title: Shadow: I’ve only known Zeo for a day and half and if anything happened to her I’ll kill everyone in this room and then myself
> 
> lol i’ve never played shadow the hedgehog or any sonic game with shadow but this is my own au so anything goes fuck u

“ _ What have you done?! _ ”

  The young Bandicoot stood amongst chaos, fire reflecting from her eyes as she was frozen. Fire overtook the pristine laboratory. Stark white was now contrasted by dark ash and scarlet flames. She… Shook. Her breath caught in her throat as she coughed, smoke filling her lungs like an empty reservoir. Etherian scientists rushed to put out the fire, many evacuating the facility while others came back with fire extinguishers and water. In that moment they all seemed to ignore her, as if she’s a forgotten experiment gone wrong. It wasn’t until one scientist, a woman who was relatively nicer to her than others, noticed her standing there. Fighting against the heat, the scientist ran towards the young girl, scooping her up and escaping the crumbling premises. She… She was shaking, her cheeks felt damp. “Don’t cry, it… Wasn’t your fault.” The scientist spoke softly, rubbing a thumb against her muzzle.

How she wished that nice scientist was here right now.

  Zeo never did learn how to control her powers correctly. She couldn’t even explain  _ how  _ she got them. She… Was born in that laboratory. She didn’t know to who, but she was born there and grew up there. The scientists weren’t the nicest but they were the family she had. They kept her locked in a tiny white room and would periodically come in and ask her to show them the powers she had. They… Asked a lot of her. Can you lift this, Zeo? Can you move that, Zeo? Hit this target Zeo. It was all too much for the young girl. She tried her best, she really did, but she would panic and her powers would spiral out of control. Not to mention her weaker immune system causing her to become sick more than usual. She was a disaster waiting to happen, at least, that’s what she figured the reason was for keeping her in that little little room.

  When Xirca found her wandering the Outskirts, she… Offered Zeo redemption. A chance to right her wrongs, to learn to control herself. To no longer hurt others. She saw it as a sign of hope, a sign of betterment. Xirca taught her many things, ways to channel her Ergokinesis. It only worked for so long, but with nothing to suppress the outlet that was her power, she’d just burn up and hurt herself and anyone else in the vicinity. It was then that Xirca told her what she had to do. To find a way to control her energy output better, she needed a conduit. That conduit would be the Fake Emeralds scattered across the multiverse. With her team set to collect the Chaos, Sol and Fake emeralds, Zeo saw it as her chance to finally end this vicious cycle that she had grown into.

...But that’s not what happened.  
  


* * *

 

  Xirca fell to Team Chrono, incarcerated for her crimes against Black Star and her people. That left her last resort in charge of finishing her plans, Team Synthis and the various emeralds they were asked to collect. However under the pretense that the emeralds would help control Zeo’s powers, they did… The exact opposite.

  With the will of the Fake Emeralds, Zeo was transformed into Dark Zeo, a being of pure chaotic energy, and an unstable one at that. Her body wasn’t designed to take such an influx of power, it ultimately spiraled out of control and she destroyed more than she bargained for. But on the same token, it also empowered an ancient being of chaos who shared her blood.

  Vernal, an ancient Black Star Mobian whose blood was used to procure Zeo. She lacked the power it needed to fuse with Chroma and become their complete form. But with this bond, Vernal could directly tap into Zeo’s energy reservoir, thus supercharging the two Chaos Gods enough to become one. Overlooking Black Star, shadowing the entire planet in their fear. Ziphone was complete. Ziphone was whole. And they set out to do what they were made for, destroy Black Star’s existence and restore the flow of time. Zeo couldn’t help but blame herself, had she not fallen for Xirca’s words, perhaps…

 Like the rest of her team, Zeo fled and hid. With a powerful an artifact as the Fake Emeralds, Ziphone could use them to destroy the world as we know it. So her best bet was to just… Hide, and hope she would be spared by retribution. However, on the other side of the planet, Team Chrono had an idea. A last trump card up their sleeves. Using the last of the Chrono before it is drained from this world, Aura contacted her ultimate ally. Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends. With all of them together, there was no doubt that they could defeat Ziphone.

At least, they hoped.  
  


* * *

 

  “Their name is Ziphone, a long forgotten god made from Black Star’s soil with the sole purpose of destroying it and her people, successfully erasing our universe and thus ceasing the spawning of Anomalys across the multiverse.” Vespyr glanced between the various Mobians surrounding her. This was Black Star’s biggest adversary yet. They had all dealt with many enemies together and individually, but this was worse than anything they’ve ever seen. “Two halves forming into a destructive, almighty god…” Silver muttered, looking between all of them. “Doesn’t that seem familiar?”

  “No kidding.” Sonic sighed, swiping a finger under his nose. “Gives me a real sense of deja vu now that I think about it, how about you guys?” The others seemed to shrug, all except for Shadow who huffed in agreement. Vespyr… Opted to stay quiet, it was best that they lived in ignorance of that fact, she figured. “Either way, there’s gotta be a way to stop them, right?” Sonic seemed hopeful, which was a good moral boost to the rest of the teams who gathered at Black Star’s epicenter, Lumis City. “But the real question is, how you expect us all to be able to take down a colossal god when there’s only like… A handful of us?” Aura narrowed her eyes, leaning against the table. Sonic, again, panned around the room. “There is  _ way  _ more than a ‘handful’ but I’ll take your word for it. But that is a really good question, how  _ are  _ we gonna pull this off… This is bigger than anything we’ve ever faced, quite literally.” Sonic sneered, which earned him quite the stink eye from the Black Star inhabitants, not the time for jokes he supposed. “Hey, what about those crystals on your back? What’d you call them- Chrono Shards right? You can just transform and we can do an awesome showdown like we always do. Piece of cake.” Sonic grinned, leaning back a bit. If… Only it was that easy. Aura shook her head, turning her back a bit to display the quickly greying shards that floated aimlessly upon her. “That- that being, whatever it is, it’s draining the power from us Chronomagi, not even Vespyr can use her Ephemeral Key. Without its power, it’s useless to us.” The hedgehog sighed, eyes downturned. Tails was quiet for a moment, glancing around the room. “Wait… Wouldn’t that mean without your powers you can’t take us home?” Team Chrono fell silent, glancing at the foreign Mobians they have brought into their world.

  “Well that just means we oughta beat that God or else we get erased from reality, right?” Everyone stared at Sonic dumbfounded but. He was right. Without the Chronal magic, they’d be caught in the blast radius and erased from history itself. Who knows what would happen to their alternate selves if that were the case. “How...ever… Last time I checked I believe there  _ are  _ seven Chaos Emeralds on Black Star currently. Sol Emeralds too, and Fake Emeralds.” Loeki spoke up, raising a hand. “Team Synthis- we were fighting them when Ziphone showed up and interrupted our battle. They fled with the various Emeralds and we haven’t seen them since.” The team got to thinking. They needed to find those emeralds and fast.

  Luckily for them, Tails is always prepared. And with Knuckles on their side, they’ll track down the emeralds in no time. A handful of them left to look as a group while the remainder stayed at their base. Knuckles, Tails, Sonic, Shadow and Aura made way through the caverns that was the Underground, hopefully through the thick rock, Ziphone wouldn’t be able to detect them. However that was wishful thinking.

  The ground began to shake as tendrils began erupting from the ground. The group was split up. Sonic and Aura on one side of the tendrils, Tails and Knuckles on another, and Shadow all by himself. The rubble and dust settled along with a mirage of coughs and wheezes. Sonic waved through the smoke, glancing around. “Is- hough- Is everyone alright?” He called, earning a bunch of dazed ‘yeahs’ and ‘mhms’ from the crew. However they were quick to realize that they were split up. “Uh- guys?” Knuckles called out, punching at the rock hard braids that fused together to create walls between them. “We’re stuck! We can’t get out!” Knuckles hissed, punching harder and harder each time. Many hits and spindashes later and. Nothing. Aura groaned as she glanced around, scratching her head. “Alright, if I remember correctly, to your left there should be a gated off entry way towards Ethernere, Knuckles can punch it down easy. Our way leads back to Lumis City Sonic but we should be able to loop around and head through Cadence instead. Shadow however is going to be heading towards the Divine Temple and- Shadow?” Aura looked through the narrow cracks between the walls to see Shadow already heading off in the other direction. She sighed quietly. Well, this probably isn’t the first time he’s dealt with something like this, he’ll be fine. Probably.

  Shadow stayed quiet as he sped through the empty channels, trying to outrun the various tendrils that shot out of the ground in an attempt to grab him. Predictable. They were isolating him so they could take him out first while the other aimlessly wandered through the opposite entryways. He could feel it though, the Chaos Emeralds were close. However before he could confirm his suspicions, he was halted to a stop as a manifestation of Ziphone appeared in front of him.

“I wouldn’t go there if I were you.”

  He narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists together. “And why is that?” The being chuckled, crossing their arms and glancing over their shoulder. “You won’t find the Chaos Emeralds there. The fake ones, sure, but not the Emeralds you’re looking for. And anyways, even if you had a choice to head back and find the  _ actual  _ emeralds, you wouldn’t be able too. She won’t let you.” Shadow’s eyes widened a bit. “Who’s ‘she’?” The being began to cackle before dissipating into thin air. He clenched his teeth before speeding off once more. Who could it possibly be that he couldn’t just--

  Shadow stopped. Watching what was unfolding right in front of him. It… It was a girl, a girl who was fighting for her life. The darkened emeralds circled around her as she frantically delivered blast after blast, shot after shot against various fibrils that harassed her. She looked… Scared. Shadow hid in the dark, biding his time. He needed an opening to intervene against this display. Moments ticked before he rushed in, grabbing the girl by the waist and racing down the hallway. The Bandicoot yelped, glancing up at the dark Hedgehog. Before she could say anything, the ground began to shake, wires burrowing up from the ground and striking at them. Shadow could only run so fast before they started getting closer to him. He could feel the energy radiating off of this Bandicoot, she was distressed. In a last ditch effort Shadow shouted.

_ “Chaos Control!” _

  There was white, a blinding white, the girl couldn’t see for a while before her vision faded back. Where… Were they? It was one of the data vaults but. Which one? She didn’t even remember she was being held before she felt arms let go of her side as she was set down. The other however seemed to collapse onto a knee, seemingly strained after such a disspell of power. The Bandicoot glanced around to make sure Ziphone’s attacks did not catch up to them before speaking up. “Are… You okay?” She was quiet not to jar the other, who nearly shook his head. “I’m… I’m fine. Who are you?”

 

  “I…” She took a deep breath, glancing off to the side. “My name is Zeo.” She was quiet. Shadow regained composure and slowly rose to his feet again. He’s never had a shock like that before… Was this ‘Chronal drain’ also affecting his use of Chaos Control? He’d have to keep an eye on that if so. However he had more important matters to attend too. “Where did you get those?” Zeo was quiet for a moment before looking at the Fake Emeralds. “Oh- I. I… Found… Them…” She wasn’t a good liar and Shadow clearly wasn’t buying it. The Bandicoot began to panic more, anxiety filling at her core. Her hands felt clammy as a million eyes trained on her. Don’t lose control of your powers, don’t lose control of your powers, don’t lose control-

  Shadow jumped back as a bolt of energy came for him, he furrowed his brow ridge, eyes glancing up to observe the young girl once more. That power… What… Is she? Zeo curled up into a ball and began to apologize profusely. “I-I’m so sorry! I can’t help it I-” Shadow stared at her for a moment before sighing, he walked over to her and hovered his hand over her shoulder hesitantly. They just met but… He saw something in himself, something that could relate to what she was going through right now. He left a gentle pat as he tried to find the words to say, he wasn’t exactly the best at comforting others, especially complete strangers. “It… Wasn’t your fault.” Words echoed in her head blurring between his and the kind scientist she had grown attached too. She seemed to physically relax as Shadow pulled his hand away and glanced at the closed door behind them. “Now, can you explain those Fake Emeralds in your possession real quick before those… things come back.” He was quite curt, but they had no time for self loathing. This world is ticking by to it’s last hour and he’d really like to stay relevant to his life.

 Zeo took a deep breath. “I was ordered by Xirca the Hellcat to use this Ephemeral Key and locate the Fake Emeralds, she told me they’d be able to handle the amount of energy I had inside of me.” Shadow blinked for a moment, glancing down at his Inhibitor Rings… What are the odds. Shadow then remembered something important he was told by Vespyr the first time he was pulled into this world.

* * *

 

_ “This world isn’t like the ones you’ve seen before. This… World was created by the collision of many worlds, ones forgotten and dead in the midst of a great expense of Chaos Energy that traveled across a thousand alternate universes to create this one that you stand in. As such, the people here will seem familiar yet completely different. We are not your reincarnations or an alternate version of you, but beings created by Black Star with the same role as you, of sorts. The Hero. The Sidekick. The Guardian. The Thief. The Powerhouse. The… Protector. You see, we are assigned roles that are out of our control that align with your universe. While we aren’t your alternate, we are your equal. You understand?” _

* * *

 

  Shadow stayed quiet, mulling over the possibility that he and Zeo could be… Nevermind, there was no time for that, those allegations will be confronted when the time is right, right now they had bigger problems. The rumbling returned as well as the sound of distant rupturing of rubble. It seemed that this Ziphone has gotten tired of their evasion. “We need to leave” Shadow urged, heading towards the door. Zeo was quick to get on her feet and glanced towards the entrance. Shadow was already halfway out when he noticed a blink in his peripheral. “What?” Shadow was shocked, his head snapping to his front as he saw the Bandicoot waving him over. How did she- Nevermind, they had to get out of here.

* * *

 

  The Bandicoot panted as they approached a door that read ‘THE DIVINE TEMPLE ENTRYWAY’. This must be the stairwell up to the city. Shadow glanced over towards Zeo once more before taking the lead, opening the door and heading up the stairs. She followed suit as they were met with neon lights and pristine buildings. Zeo seemed to be in awe while Shadow remained focused on a new objective: Locate the rest of the crew and meet back at Lumis City. Who knows if Sonic and the rest of them managed to make it out alive. Though, Ziphone seemed quite persistent to take out both him and this Bandicoot. With a small huff, Shadow began to trek forward, Zeo following quietly. They won’t be able to get to Lumis City without being noticed, and with the only way blocked off, they’ll have to pass through the Borders to get back to it. They better rest while they have the chance before Ziphone attacks them again.

 Zeo was quiet for a while, staring down at her feet as she followed the taller Hedgehog. The silence was almost deafening to her, however not uncommon. It left her too her thoughts much to the dismay of herself. Eventually she let out a sigh, and glanced over to the other. “I… Uhm. I never caught your name.” He was silent for a moment, keeping his eyes trailed on the road. “Shadow.”. She was quiet for a moment, glancing left and right. “Shadow huh? Nice to meet you.”. Shadow huffed slightly. “Mmm.” Not the talkative type is he? “Do you know where we’re heading?”

  Shadow was quiet before finally glancing over at her. “To be quite frank, no. But I know where I  _ need  _ to be. However you don’t seem to be grasping the severity of this situation. Your world is about to be erased from existence and I along with many of my, hmm,  _ friends, _ were sent to help you save it.” Shadow rarely called the rest of the Sonic gang his  _ friends  _ but in this sense, he might as well keep it straight and simple. Plus it’s not like he’ll ever  _ see  _ her again for it to bite him in the ass.

  “Another thing, why are you so curious about these Emeralds anyways?” She pointed towards the darkened jewels that orbited her body. “I need the Chaos Emeralds to help power myself to defeat said god from destroying your world.” It was like talking to a child- or Cream really. Zeo raised a brow. “But why would you do that?” Shadow stopped for a moment, perpexled at the notion for a moment. “What do you mean ‘why’?”

  Zeo leaned over a bit, her quills flopping to the side slightly. “Well… When I used these Emeralds, I lost control of my powers and nearly hurt everyone that was nice to me.” Shadow was quiet for a moment, a hint of concern in his features before he turned his attention back to the road and continued walking. “Perhaps for you, but for me I am able to channel the energy perfectly to use it to its full potential.” And that was the end of it. The two remained in silence for the remainder of the walk until the two stumbled upon the vacant Church of Divinity. “Lets rest here for now.” Shadow suggested, pushing the doors open quietly. The two plopped by the altar, finally able to get a good breath of air into their lungs. It was still so surreal to Shadow, however. The prospect that this… Bandicoot could be the equal of him in this universe. But to what extent? He barely knew anything about her and frankly… He didn’t want to. He knew what he was getting himself into helping Black Star, and while Sonic and a handful of others seemed to have found solidarity in their Black Star equivalents, the idea that there is someone here who experienced the same pain and conflict he has… He’d rather live in ignorance than have to face a mirror of his own trauma and face what has been done to him as well as what could of been done to her. 

  He coped by shutting everyone out and trying to focus on whatever objective he was sent out to do. Her? She didn’t seem to have anything. She was filled with anxiety and was on the cusp of breaking at any moment. Her powers were left unchecked and she had a hard time keeping them  _ in  _ check. However he supposed that was the difference. While he had these Inhibitors to keep him from burning up. She… Had nothing. She relied on those Fake Emeralds for closure but they brought her nothing but hurt, it seemed. Shadow shook his head, he was thinking about it. He glanced over to the Bandicoot who seemed to have curled up with one of the emeralds, running her thumb over the sharp edges. Shadow closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall and sighing. “What happened to you?” Shadow was quieter, hoping that maybe if she couldn’t hear him she wouldn’t answer. Zeo stopped for a moment and glanced over to Shadow. “...What do you mean?” Shadow tried to pick his words gently, glancing down for a moment. “Your powers- how did you get them?”

  Zeo was stunned for a moment, furrowing her brows and glancing back at the Emerald. “I… I don’t know. I was born in a laboratory in Ethernere and… They locked me in this tiny stark white room since I was young because I got sick very easily. The scientists would come in wearing these big full body suits and ask me to do lots of things. From moving objects to hitting targets with- with energy. They never bothered to teach me how to use it, just whether or not I  _ could.  _ It… Got to the point where all these tests, all these experiments. I… I couldn’t handle it anymore. I lost control of my powers. I… I burnt the place to the ground. It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t want to hurt anybody I swear! I couldn’t handle the pressure and-and I just- I…” Shadow noticed the quickly growing tension that Zeo was building up and placed another firm hand on her shoulder, pulling her out of this loop in her head. “I… Understand.” Was all Shadow managed to say.

  She didn’t ask him to elaborate, merely staring at him for a couple seconds before letting out a deep sigh and going back to fumbling with the emerald. Shadow’s hand slowly slipped from her shoulder and the two remained in silence for the rest of their time at the temple.

* * *

 

  Their time on the road was just as long as before, Zeo growing increasingly antsy and Shadow just wanting to get back to base to devise a plan with the Fake Emeralds in hand. However their walk wouldn’t be quite as peaceful as before when the appearance of Ziphone materialized in front of them.

  Shadow stopped, putting an arm in front of Zeo and gritting his teeth. He narrowed his eyes at the other. “What do you want now?” Shadow hissed. Ziphone chuckled, crossing their arms. “Oh, nothing much.  _ Hand over the girl. _ ”. Shadow’s eyes widened a bit as he quickly glanced between them and Zeo. “If you want her, you’re going to have to get through us first.” Shadow glared. Ziphone smirked. “So be it.”

 Shadow shot forward, landing to hit Ziphone. But they were too fast, teleporting behind him and kicking him to the ground. “You really are as simple as they come. Aren’t you? I’m a god! You can’t think to defeat me!” They laughed. Their eye turned slightly to see Zeo. Time slowed exponentially, Shadow barely moving but Zeo shot forward at a normal pace. However what she suspected was a slowed Ziphone was met by complete shock as Ziphone moved just as fast, if not faster, and also kicked Zeo down. Time returned back to normal and Ziphone laughed at the two. “Pitiful! No trick you can come up with can even come close to our power. We’re not even corporeal in the slightest! If you defeat us there won’t be any repercussions. Surrender yourself now or we’ll just pry those emeralds from your cold, dead hands.” Zeo glanced at Shadow who began to push himself up for another attack. Anxiety filled her chest as she stared at Ziphone who exuded ultimate power. “You really think you can’t be beaten? You’re more egotistical than I took you for.” Shadow sneered, clearly ready to put an end to this hologram. “And you’re more foolish than I thought. A glutton for punishment perhaps?”

  Zeo’s shaking hands curled into fists, a glare on her face as she hissed at Ziphone. The fake emeralds that rotated around her began spinning faster, dark Chaos energy surging through the girl. Shadow was caught off guard, backing up from Zeo. “Wait Zeo, you don’t have to do that-” Shadow tried to call out, but it was too late. The girls’ eyes glowed a stark white as her body became a dark dark indigo, white stripes lining across her body as tears began to well up in her eyes. It-- it  _ burned _ . It burned her from the inside. The energy that coursed through her veins, it  _ hurt _ . A scream tore through her throat, a knot growing in her chest as she dashed towards Ziphone, strands of Chaos energy emanating from her as she struck at Ziphone who held onto her fist, but noticeably struggled. Zeo’s growl grew louder. She- felt  _ sick _ . But she had a chance against Ziphone. She unleashed a barrage of attacks. Chaos energy flying from the wits. However this is what Ziphone wanted. To drain Zeo while they had the chance. They kept blocking every punch and zap the girl unleashed, tears draining from her eyes as her voice grew hoarse and her body grown weak. Eventually the Chaos energy was drained from her and she dropped to the ground in front of Ziphone, shaking to keep herself up as she coughed profusely, Chaos energy still arcing from her body. She was becoming unstable, critically unstable. She screamed out in pain as the arcs grew larger and larger. Shadow stared in disbelief. He- he didn’t know what to do. There in front of him was a young Mobian about to be eaten alive by Chaos energy just. Just like him. Shadow’s eyes roamed down to the rings that adorned his wrists and ankles. His heart pumped in his chest. He had a chance, a chance to save her. To save  _ himself _ . She may have not been him, but she  _ was  _ him in a sense. Ziphone’s patronizing gaze ceased for a moment, glancing at Shadow who unclipped the glowing cuffs from his wrists. “What are you-” Shadow smirked. “Your knowledge only extends only so far it seems.” He walked by Zeo, dropping the cuffs next to her. “Her power may not be able to stop your’s. Yet. But mines might have a sneaking chance.” He gritted his teeth as he unleashed a fatal punch at the projection, sending them flying into the dirt. They weren’t prepared for that one it seemed.

  Shaking his fist out slightly, Shadow’s attention immediately turned to the trembling girl behind him. Quickly he knelt down beside her, wincing as the Chaos energy within him also began to bubble out of control. But he still had half of his inhibitors, it’d only be a slight discomfort. “Give me your hands.” Zeo shook her head profusely. “I-I can’t! I’ll hurt you!” Shadow huffed and grabbed her hands, visibly cringing as the arcs of Chaos energy jumped from her arms to his. “I’m made from Chaos energy, you can’t possibly hurt me.” Grabbing the Inhibitor Rings, he clasped them around both of her wrists. Slowly he watched as the arcing began to decrease then cease all together. The physical strain apparent on her face as she heaved deeply, trying to catch her breath. “You’ll be okay, You’ll be okay.” Shadow’s voice was quiet, helping the girl onto her feet. Despite the two of them in discomfort, they tried to stand against Ziphone as they slowly rose from the dirt.

  The being began to chuckle darkly as they seemed to split, like two cells multiplying. Although this manifestation of Ziphone was purely a projection, they could willingly simulate their halved selves without repercussions to their power. The two were formed as a Raccoon and Thylacine, the latter stepping forward to touch Zeo’s muzzle. However Shadow stepped back, pushing Zeo behind him. “Do not be afraid my dear, we are of the same blood, after all.” Zeo’s exhausted eyes widened as she slowly stepped out from behind Shadow. “...What…?”

  Vernal laughed, tilting her head into her hand. “Do not be confused, I am not your parent. But you are made with my blood. But you don’t know that. Do you?” She grinned. Zeo furrowed her brows, glancing at her hands and the rings around her wrists. “You are a weapon, Zeo. Made to combat the Divinity’s own weapon. A roboticized Red Panda named Vice. You were to be a failed project if it weren’t for the fact my blood was made available. I gave you the powers you possess. And you gave me the power to fuse with Chroma to become Ziphone. We are one and the same, Zeo. Rejections of this universe made to destroy it.” Zeo stepped back, shaking her head. “I- I’m nothing like you.” She hissed. Vernal only snickered. “But you were made to be a weapon. Will you give into your nature, girl? Destroy me. You have the power too. You only seek to inhibit your own ambition with those crystals and those rings.” Vernal smirked as Zeo became conflicted. Shadow again stepped in front of Zeo, intervening between her and Vernal. “She’s-- She’s just a kid!” Shadow glared. He may have had the capacity to make this decision himself but-- Zeo was so  _ young.  _ She shouldn’t have to question her own morality like this- not like he did. Vernal growled. This hedgehog was getting on her  _ nerves _ . She had enough of him, raising her fist she decided she had quite enough of his meddling but. It… Wouldn’t move. She glanced at her hand as a dark aura surrounded it. Zeo hissed, causing Shadow to look back at her. Using her Ergokinesis, she threw Vernal back as far as she could. Causing her to fall out of range of Chroma and thus making the illusion dissipate. Zeo physically sweat, nearly hyperventilating at the strain she was put under, trying to control her powers even at half the capacity. Shadow relaxed slightly, sighing and patting her on the shoulder. “You did good, Zeo.” Zeo glanced up a bit, smiling at Shadow as the two began to make their way back to Lumis City.

* * *

 

By the time Shadow returned, Sonic and rest had made it back to the base unscathed. They were all discussing Shadow’s whereabouts when the Hedgehog in questioned walked in through the the doors, causing everyone to fall silent. “There you are! We were starting to get worried.” Sonic teased, before noticing the lack of gold that adorned his wrists. “Shadow-- where are your inhibitor rings?!” Rouge piped up, pushing past everyone. If anyone knew how important those rings are to Shadow’s wellbeing, it’d be Rouge. Shadow, although exhausted, waved off Rouge’s concerned. He sighed as he looked at the others. “There was someone who needed them more than me.” Their eyes all widened at the prospect. “Who?” Aura asked, glancing around. Shadow stepped away from the door as the smaller Bandicoot glanced around, waving her hand. Although the rings suppressed her power by fifty percent, dark energy still continued to arc from her fingers. “This is Zeo, she’s the holder of the Fake Emeralds.” Shadow introduced. Zeo waved shyly, nervous about how well received she would be. The others were quiet for a moment but soon smiled, welcoming her into the base. Shadow leaned against the wall, wincing when he thought nobody was looking. He felt a hand on his arm, looking over to see Rouge. “So you found them, huh?” She asked, alluding to the fact that they had alternative equals on this planet. Shadow didn’t say anything, but nearly looked back at Zeo and the smile on her face as she ran up to two particular Mobians, a Skunk and a Shrew. Rouge smirked slightly, looking at them. “You did a good thing today, Shadow.” He finally sighed, glancing down at the ground. “I suppose I did.”

**Author's Note:**

> APOLOGIES IF ANY OF THIS SEEMED RUSH OR OOC i was never good at pacing and as i've mentioned i don't have the best grasp on shadow's character but i wanted to write this REAL bad so it's here now lol


End file.
